Zombies Ate My Neighbors.
Zombies Ate My Neighbors, released as Zombies in Europe and Australia, is a run and gun video game for the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo consoles. The game was developed, distributed and produced by LucasArts and published by Konami Gameplay. The player chooses between two characters, Zeke and Julie, or both in a two-player mode. They navigate suburban neighborhoods, shopping malls, pyramids, haunted castles and other areas, destroying a variety of horror-movie monsters, including vampires, werewolves, huge demonic babies, merman, evil dolls, aliens, UFOs, giant ants, blobs, Giant worms, and the game's namesake, zombies. In each of the 48 stages, which includes seven optional bonus levels, the goal is to rescue the surviving neighbors, at which point a door opens that will take the player to the next stage.[3] If the player does not find a neighbor fast enough, an enemy will kill the neighbors when touched, preventing them from being saved. At least one neighbor must be saved from each level to progress to the next. The game is lost if the players lose all of their lives or if all of the neighbors in the current stage are killed. Scoring points earns players neighbors to save and extra lives. Each level has at most ten neighbors, and each neighbor type is worth a different amount of points. Production Zombies Ate My Neighbors was originally developed by LucasArts. It was published by Konami, a company already known for platformers in 1993.[4] Music for the game was composed by Joseph "Joe" McDermott. The ZAMN engine would later be used for Ghoul Patrol, Metal Warriors and Big Sky Trooper.[5] The monsters in the game are based on classic horror films released in the 1950s and more modern films like Friday the 13th and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.[6] The weapon's usefulness is also based on these depictions, such that werewolves die in one attack if attacked with silverware, or vampires die faster if attacked with the crucifix. In the SNES version of the game, there is a flamethrower which is not included in the Sega Mega Drive version.[6] Censorship The game's theme was subject to some censorship. This game was released before the ESRB inclusion and before then, Nintendo did not want violence in their video games. Nintendo of America ordered all depictions of blood and gore be removed or changed to purple ooze.[7] committees at several European Nations—i.e. United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, France, Spain, Austria, Portugal, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany and Australia—censored more by having the game renamed to Zombies and ordered other changes including the replacement of the chainsaw-wielding enemies with lumberjacks wielding axes.[8] Reception Zombies Ate My Neighbors, although not an immediate success, became a cult classic years after its release.[3][10] Upon its release, it got above average praise, earning a 85.6% on Gamerankings.com.[9] Reviewers of the game often cited its humor, two-player mode, graphics and music as some of its best aspects. Mike Seiblier of Sega-16.com said the variety of weapons shows off the game's "tongue in cheek nature by giving you weapons and items like, silverware, dishes, soda can grenades, a weed whacker, keys, bazookas as well as health packs."[4] The Armchair Empire similarly praised the variety and strategy that the weapon system incorporated. They also made note of the "little details that make it so cool to play", saying "If you come across a door, which you don't have the key for, you can blow it open with the bazooka."[11] Critics agreed the co-op mode is "highly recommended".[12] The game's "colorful and detailed" graphics have been praised as well as its soundtrack which Seibler called an "homage to the spooky, over the top music found in old, scary flicks."[4] He went on to mention the sound effects are equally impressive. Corbie Dillard of Nintendolife.com said the graphics do not "exactly set new 16-bit standards, but they still manage to look sharp and the creative use of the darker color scheme used throughout the game really makes the creepy visuals come to life onscreen."[3] He ended his review by affectionately calling the game a "second-rate horror movie" version of Contra. Upon the game's release for the Wii Virtual Console, Zombies Ate My Neighbors received immense praise and earned an Editor's Choice Award from IGN.[10] The game has been regarded as one of "the most requested additions to the VC system even before the Wii launch."[10][12] Comparisons to the game Dead Rising, released for the Xbox 360 in 2006, have been drawn, Lucas Thomas of IGN saying "Zombies Ate My Neighbors is basically a comical 16-bit template for the new Xbox 360 release, Dead Rising. And like that game, this one arms you with a pretty bizarre arsenal. Weed whackers, exploding soda cans and flying silverware all make an appearance to help you, or you and a friend, put a hurt on these living dead."[12] GameFAQs described the Xbox 360 game Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia as "a tribute to the classic Zombies Ate My Neighbors" due to its similar game play, scenario, and B-Movie humor.[13] Legacy A sequel entitled Ghoul Patrol was released in 1994, but was not as well received as its predecessor. Originally, Ghoul Patrol was not intended to be released as a sequel to Zombies Ate My Neighbors, but was re-worked as such to increase sales. In 1997, LucasArts released a game for Sony's PlayStation titled Herc's Adventures, which uses the same basic gameplay format and mechanics as Zombies Ate My Neighbors, but instead parodies ancient Greek mythology. Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle, another game developed by LucasArts, is referenced in Zombies Ate My Neighbors through a secret level.[14] Film Announced in 2011, a film based on the game is now in development.[15] the film is being penned and produced by screenwriter John Darko, known for his work on James Wan's Insidious[16] and Aaron Sims' Archetype.